Universal and MGM Releasing Some Classic Movie DVD Box Sets

In the rush to see big-budget new movies like Transformers or Live Free or Die Hard, which feature the latest visual effects, the biggest stars or more explosions per minute than any other film, we often forget about the great, classic films that helped pave the way for the big-budget movie-going experience we get to enjoy today. Over the years, some great films have come out of Hollywood and the indie world which are regarded as classics of their genres and are still entertaining and influencing audiences and filmmakers around the world.

Some of these great films of the past include a whole bunch of horror classics from Universal, which, according to DVD Drive In, are now on their way to your waiting hands via exclusive box sets of DVDs. Just in time for Halloween, a horror collection which includes such campy classics as Horror Island, Captive Wild Woman (one of my personal favorites) Man-Made Monster starring Lon Chaney Jr. and The Black Catstarring both Boris KarloffandBella Lugosi, will hit store shelves. A Sci-Fi box set from the studio is also in the works which includes films such as The Deadly Mantis, The Leech Woman, Dr. Cyclops. and Cult of the Cobra starring a young David Janssen.

Not to be left out, MGM is also set to release two classic film DVD box sets of its own in the coming months. The first, featuring the work of the great Vincent Price, collects such Price classics as The Abominable Dr. Phibes, Tales of Terror, Madhouse and Theater of Blood, co-starring the sexy Diana Rigg. The set will also feature bonus material including a documentary about the late actor as well as two making-of shorts. Also coming from MGM is a box set of Roger Corman classics including Bloody Mama, starring Oscar-winners Shelley Winters and Robert De Niro, The Young Racers, The Trip and The Wild Angels. Some great films made for almost no money that remind us what filmmaking is all about: interesting characters and compelling stories told well. Although, it is fun to blow stuff up sometimes too.